LaPew was brought in by a large shelter after being discovered unwell and heavily matted wandering the streets of Florida. Her fur was in such horrible state that rescuers had to fully shave her off, whiskers and all, due to a serious urinary tract infection and Brachycephalic airway syndrome. The five-year-old cat was completely shaved down and without whiskers when she suddenly took on a pug-like appearance.
Soon, LaPew was pulled by another smaller shelter and placed into a foster home, where she soon met Jessica Lorman. Lorman was in Florida visiting LaPew’s foster family, and immediately fell in love with the sweet, sickly cat — and realized LaPew was meant to be in her family.
“Her eyes really enchanted me,” Lorman said. “I couldn’t say no when my buddy suggested my husband and I adopt her as we have vast experience caring for cats with long-term medical concerns.” She was simply too lovely and kind to say no.
After receiving official approval to adopt her from the second agency, I quickly purchased a ticket for her to fly back with me to New Hampshire.
Despite LaPew’s grumpy, pug-like face, she’s actually the sweetest cat around, and adjusted to life with her new family almost instantly. Her rescue cat siblings immediately welcomed her into the pack, and soon it was as if she’d been there all along.
“It’s almost like they know when we bring home another cat it’s one that has had some sort of similar backstory as they do, and we honestly haven’t had much of an adjustment period with any of them,” Lorman said. “We definitely have managed to adopt some of the greatest cats that otherwise would have been looked over because they’re either older or special needs in some way.”
Even though she has a shaky past, LaPew is not at all skittish. She’s calm and relaxed around people, even those she’s never met before, and reacts a lot more calmly to them than they often do to her, as most people don’t believe that she’s actually a cat.
Most Persian cats are incredibly fluffy, but because LaPew had to be shaved down, her lack of fluff and whiskers make her look more like a weird pug than a cat, and everyone who meets her immediately wants to know what she is. Her mom always explains that she’ll be fluffy again very soon, and her whiskers are already starting to grow back, but for now her appearance is earning her lots of extra attention — which LaPew is totally OK with.
“I promise she is a Persian and not some pug/cat hybrid,” Lorman said.
From her appearance to her illnesses, LaPew had a lot stacked against her when she first arrived at the shelter. Luckily, she found a family who was able to look past all that, and accept her for the perfect little pug cat that she is.
